Milestones: Commitment

After what had happened at the beach, Michelle thought that her recovery process would start back at step one, but to her surprise things actually started to look up for her. With much persuasion from Brian to just put things behind her, Michelle realized that while the loss of her unborn child had been a terrible tragedy, it was by all means no reason for her to simply just give up on everything. It was time to just move on and get back into the normal groove of things. Brian had told her that getting back to school and starting up her job at the coffee shop again would give her no time to let her mind wander and that in the long run it would make things better for Michelle, and after taking his advice, she saw that Brian was right in his thinking.

Though she decided to forgo the rest of the semester of college, as it was already nearing finals and she'd have no way of making up all the work she'd missed, Michelle took on a full-time position at the coffee shop. And the extra money she earned as a barista was greatly needed, as the more in-depth Brian and the rest of the band got into the recording of their sophomore album, Waking the Fallen, the less time Brian had to work on the construction job he still had.

Things were beginning to settle down after being thrown completely off-axis, and life was returning to normal. Up until Brian ad Michelle gained a new member of the family....

It was a Saturday, and that being the case, Michelle was still asleep even though it was already almost ten. She didn't have work until noon, and when Michelle woke up alone with no Brian next to her she wasn't surprised. She didn't remember his schedule, but she figured he was either working or at the studio with the boys.

Rolling over onto her back, Michelle stretched her limbs, resting her eyes for the few moments before she knew she'd have to get up. The house was quiet until the alarm clock next to her began blaring and she quickly shut it off. She was about to get up when a second noise startled her, catching Michelle completely off-guard. She heard a loud barking, and what scared her even more was the fact that it sounded like it was coming from inside the house. Quickly she sat up, very alert. The barking stopped for a minute before starting again.

"What the hell?" Michelle asked herself before quickly getting out of bed and creeping out of the room and to the top of the stairs. When she heard no other dog sounds, Michelle figured it was all in her head, but something told her she had to make sure. Slowly she descended the stairs and the sight of a German shepherd perched on the couch startled her even more. Noticing Michelle, the dog's ears perked up and it jumped down, quickly barreling toward her.

"Brian!?" she screamed, holding her hand sup and backing quickly into the kitchen. She didn't know why she called for Brian when he wasn't even home, but when the dog followed her into the other room she stood behind one of the chairs, as if using it as a shield.

The German shepherd slowly crept toward Michelle, its ears tilted back, and she could hear a growl emit from its throat.

"Nice doggy," she whispered, hoping the dog didn't attack her. She didn't know if it was a stray or if it had rabies or anything like that, and she didn't really want to find out.

Suddenly the door to the apartment slammed shut and Michelle could hear footsteps coming up to the second floor.

"Brian?" Michelle called out, not taking her eyes off the dog in case it decided to attack.

"Ozzy!" Brian shouted when he reached the top of the stairs, and the dog turned and charged toward Brian as he appeared in the doorway. "Hey Ozzy!" he said, bending down to scratch behind the dog's ears.

"Brian what the hell is a dog doing in here?" Michelle asked, still not daring to come out from behind the chair. Still petting the dog, Brian looked at his girlfriend with a wide grin.

"He's ours. He didn't bite you or anything, did he? I heard you scream," Brian said.

"No, I just wasn't expecting a dog to be here when I woke up..."

"Sorry about that. I was outside staking a lead line into the ground to chain him up to. So, what do you think?"

"...I don't know, Brian. A dog? Seriously? I mean, that thing is huge," Michelle said with a sigh, finally taking a step closer to her scruffy boyfriend and the equally scruffy dog.

"Oz isn't that big. He's only nine months...he's still growing, aren't you boy?" Brian then asked the dog, sitting down on the linoleum with Ozzy, who began to try and lick his face. Getting Ozzy to sit still as he pet the soft hair, Brian looked up at Michelle. "I figured...we needed something, you know? Something more. And then I went to the animal shelter and Ozzy here was practically begging me to bring him home," Brian started to explain. "Maybe having him around will help fill the hole that's left in your life, and mine too."

Watching as Ozzy laid his head in Brian's lap, tail still wagging, Michelle sighed before a small grin appeared.

"He is pretty cute," she admitted. "He won't bite me, will he? He growled earlier..."

"Nah, he won't bite you. I think the excitement got to him, is all. That and I'd probably growl at you if you screamed at me, too," Brian joked, patting the linoleum next to him. Slowly, Michelle sat down next to Brian and reached a hand out to scratch behind Ozzy's ear like Brian had earlier.

"I love you," he said in a whisper, kissing Michelle's cheek, and she smiled before kissing him on the lips in return.

"I love you, too."

Maybe what Brian said was right, Michelle thought. Maybe having a dog to take care of would fill the gap in their lives that losing their baby had created. But only time would tell...